DISCLAIMER: All the characters belong to Rick Riordan.
Annabeth and Percy's relationship develops through all ages. How their relationship progressed from annoyance, friends, best friends, boyfriend/girlfriend.
This is a prologue to her past and her reason to hold on to her family and her fierce loyalty toward them.
Annabeth ran away at the age of seven.
Why wouldn't she? Her family doesn't want her. They didn't want her to be one among them. Her dad chose his new wife and kids over her when he had promised nothing would change between them. He preferred his work over her. Her stepmother doesn't allow her near the twins.
She was basically a non-existent to her family. So she took the hint that she wasn't needed and ran away. She's survived the Police, the pesky mortals, and monsters all on her own in just ratty jammies and with a rusty hammer. Without proper sleep and food, surviving became a desperate struggle, but her determination to live on her own saved her more than she could count. An owl had guided her through tough times and dangerous situations before abandoning her at an old factory outlet.
That's where she came across them. Them, as in two much older kids. A girl and a boy, to be precise. The girl, around thirteen with dark eyeliner and black spiky short-cropped hair, and dark clothes. The boy, perhaps fourteen, with blue eyes and blonde hair, caked with golden dust and grime. He wore leather armor over his ripped shirt. They both had the same hungry, wild look; like a cornered beast.
That one look gave her answers. They're like her—runaways. Thalia and Luke.
Once she confirmed them as not monsters in disguise, she was pleasantly surprised to come across other demigods, just like her. Their ages and injuries gave away their frequent run-ins with monsters, which brought indecision to her idea to run away and live on her own.
Could she even survive long enough?
She was moved to tears when they asked him to tag along and only agreed after confirming that they wouldn't send her back to her family. They promised to be a family—a far more enduring family than her own—which made her tingle all over. A burst of warmth suddenly enveloped her, as though a little girl that had left home had suddenly bumped into her big brother. Her heart was engulfed with soft, cordial feelings.
Though she knew they would be hard-pressed with her adding to the fray, she was nonetheless relieved to have someone look after her. During her time with the older couple, she got to know what it was like to have older siblings. The fear of the unknown which had always crept up during her alone time slowly dissipated with the others watching over her. She felt a sense of belonging while traveling with the two across the country.
She could see it in their eyes. That bringing her along had been more taxing than in the past and they've suffered a lot more injuries on the run, but the couple didn't show any frustration over their decision to bring her along. To which she was eternally grateful. Even after a week of camping in the wild, hiding from the ancient monsters, and stealing food and supplies, she's never felt more alive.
She was contributing to the team. She has been given tasks and was trusted to complete them. She felt included. She didn't want to be invalid—for that she can accept to act like a kid her age.
She doesn't need to be a child of Athena to figure it out that they both like each other; it's plain as a day. The furtive glances, accidental brush-ups, and occasional alone time together gave it away. If not for their constant run-ins with the monsters, they would look like a normal couple—contrast yet in sync. Theirs was a bond forged in fire. She felt like a kid with young parents when they acted their part. Thalia rants over her hair, and appearance, and Luke is an over-protective father sometimes whenever she fought monsters.
A family. A protective and enduring family at last.
A week into the run, and once their last hideout had been destroyed by a fire-breathing crab, they found themselves in Luke's house. He was vehemently against it, and if not for their lack of medicinal supplies and Thalia's worse condition, he'd never agree to come back. Then again, Annabeth didn't raise any questions about it. She has had her father's drama at home, and the duo had never questioned her circumstances.
She quietly glanced at Luke's father, the god of Messenger, Hermes, for the first time when the father-son duo was arguing. She sat quietly at the kitchen table, playing with a Medusa plush toy while Luke's mom patched up Thalia. She couldn't put a finger on the older woman's behavior though. The argument in the hall escalated, with Luke leaving mid-way after a quick supply grab.
Perhaps it was the godly visit. Or perhaps their combined luck has run out on them. Whatever the case, the monster-hunting became more aggressive in the group. It was like they were provoked and madly hunted them. They fought more and escaped less, hence suffering more injuries. The arguments escalated. This, in turn, led to more stealing medicinal supplies, breaking into houses for quick naps, and stealing cars to put some distance from the monsters.
She once overheard their conversation involving her. After a long day of restless running and fighting, they'd collapsed in a motel room. They thought she deserved better. They thought they were setting bad example with all the stealing, car crashing, and cop chasing. She had wanted to scream that they were the best she's got and doesn't want anything. She eavesdropped on
She listens to them talk about a safe place but is not trustworthy enough to keep them all safe. They argue a little with Luke giving in and Thalia hugs him in delight. She wonders what does that mean? A place for the likes of them—safety, shelter, food. But not trusty enough to go there? She doesn't voice her opinions, not to worry them more than she already has.
They meet a half boy-half goat on their run. He explains about the safe place and his orders to bring Thalia along with them. Luke disagrees to go with him to the place. Thalia and she convince him to visit first at least, leave later; if necessary. They fight their way through the monsters, more now that they have a destination to reach.
They had a couple of accidents, but they reached the safe place in one piece. Everything turns downhill then. Thalia turns into a pine tree. Luke had a fierce and angry look with tears streaming down his face. She struggled against him to let him help Thalia, crying all along. But the older girl was nowhere to be found. Only in the far future would she comprehend the older girl's decision to sacrifice her life— she's tired of the constant hunting and chasing. She took her chance to sacrifice herself for her friends to survive.
She wished that had been a dream. But it wasn't. Thalia had turned into a tree, leaving behind Luke and her to live without her. She found herself at the base of the tree more often than not, missing the older girl. In the beginning Luke used to accompany her, but not after a few months.
Her family was gone, once again. Thalia died protecting the rest of them, while Luke died alongside her—a shell of his old self left behind. He acts himself when she approaches, but she can see the action clearly, and it hurts her as much as it hurts when Thalia died.
Luke, was admired by everyone, and even if he didn't seek it out, it was given to him. She felt left behind because of it. They both left her behind to fend off.
The camp is safe from monsters, with a few people like herself milling about the activities around the fields. She soon learned that the summer is when everyone returns from the outside world.
Her first camp bead is made in remembrance of Thalia's sacrifice.
Annabeth is eight when she accepted her heritage.
She has a cabin now, a bed to sleep in—specifically for her, siblings with the same interests, and older ones to take care of her. Even though she can see it was genuine, the care and affection showed by her previous family still prick at her every time she remembered that it was no more now.
Luke acts like his usual self with his siblings and other campers. She can see it was an act. She wants to do something to change that, but couldn't find what would help him. She thinks being around people his age would bring him back.
She dives into the world of knowledge. She hungrily absorbs even information thrown her way. The brains her mother gifted her were her main source of power to fight. She reads with difficulty but pushes through to prove her heritage. She wishes to prove that Thalia's sacrifice was worthy of her. The library in the Big house becomes her second place after her cabin to find her.
Running from monsters made her want to fight and win them. She was fully engrossed in the war strategies and plans to win a fight in the wise way possible. She proved herself capable of wielding a dagger. All the activities made her want to learn more and more.
She slowly began to incorporate into the camp. So far, she's the youngest. She met a few others that she took a liking to from other cabins. But mostly she found Chiron quite fascinating. The immortal teacher doted on her like a daughter and complied with her whimsical questions and ideas. She hung around him until she was tired and had to be dragged back to her bunk.
She still visits Thalia's pine often. She recaps her day, about the fun things, about how much she missed her older sister. Luke doesn't visit her now. He stopped after the first few months. She wanted to drag him there, but couldn't because she realized he wants to forget Thalia.
Luke trains harder than anyone in the camp. He trains like he has a purpose now. She thought it was good. He was slowly turning to his old self. She trains alongside him harder too. She too has to prove herself.
Annabeth is ten when her destiny is partially revealed.
She's been at camp year-round for three years. She's learned more about the mythological stuff. She's learned about the war strategies and plans to win and capture the flag. She believed in her father once again, went back home, got her hopes down the drain, and returned miserably in a few months.
When Hermes issued a quest to Luke, she instantly becomes jealous of him. Luke got the chance to prove himself at last. But notices that he wasn't all that thrilled about it. She thinks he's just preparing for his quest.
Once Luke leaves, she becomes jittery. Luke and she had arrived at camp at the same time. Why couldn't she go on a quest to prove herself? She pestered Chiron for a while to issue a quest to her, but her request was turned down.
Luke returns as a failure with a spoil of war and a terrible scar on his face. Everyone pitied him for his failed quest. She doesn't know what to tell him. She still believes she's ready for her quest, now that Luke had his chance. She tries to console him about the quest, but he ignores her altogether. She thought he had a lot on his plate at the moment and decides to talk to him later.
She felt defiant that she wouldn't get her chance and takes the matter into her own hands. She reaches out to the Oracle for her quest. Instead, what she'd got was the few lines of the Great Prophecy which lays out the destiny of the world to be fulfilled. She pesters Chiron to let her go on a quest, and he partially informs her of the details of the Prophecy and she was ecstatic about her Prophecy being the Great Prophecy.
Chiron reluctantly informs her about the background to the Prophecy and Thalia's fate. He guessed that she would have an important role to play in the future and prophecy child's destiny was intertwined with hers. He mentions to her that her chance to a quest is only when a special someone arrives at camp. Until then, he called off quests in the camp.
She finds Luke at Thalia's pine tree alone. She jogs up to meet him but froze when she hears him speaking to himself. She listened to him disgracing gods for leaving Thalia to die and denouncing them for their terrible ruling. She backs down and guessed that his quest had turned him bitter and he's lashing at the gods as a vent. She thought he'll come around once he copes up with his quest. She remembered his words though, wondering when did he turn so bitter?
She decided to wait for her fated person to arrive to get a chance to prove herself. Until then, she'll prepare herself for the inevitable. She trained hard. She learned all there is to learn for her age and above. She's learned about all the Mythological stories and monsters there are to it. Heck, she even started giving classes on Ancient Greek. She'd make sure that she's the best the camp has to offer.
She hears Aphrodite girls gossip over Luke. How handsome and charming he looked. How he swings his blade graciously in the training field. How much of a boyfriend material he could become?
She frowns hearing this. Luke has always been like that. How come many girls are noticing it now? She didn't find any changes in him over the three years. Maybe not a wiry frame like her anymore with muscles filling out. Then she watches him training with the dummies, hacking them. Remembering the gossip she eavesdropped on, she felt her face heat up a little. She mentally berates herself. This is just Luke. There's nothing different about him. A small part of her brain reminds her that Luke had changed in the years at camp, and became a little distant from everyone else. She snaps and shut that part of her brain and continues to admire him for the hero he's become.
She finds him now and then with others girls, laughing and sharing jokes. For a little bit, she thinks that she might've seen the old Luke in him, that not everything has changed completely, and that Luke was still the same as she remembers. She thinks that maybe a change in pace is what he needs to get back on track.
From then on, whenever he talks to her or smiled at her, she was reminded of the gossip about his looks and her face felt hot. She berates herself for losing her composure and shakes it off quickly. Luke notices it too, but he leaves her to be since he'd seen it enough times already.
Annabeth is eleven when she proves she's scary.
She waited for the fated one who takes her on a journey to prove her worth. She lingers around the Big house whenever a new camper arrives. She helps them settle, shows them around the camp, and even takes upon the task to integrate them into the camp.
She analyzed the new camper during her time with them, to see whether they were the One. She's disappointed when she finds them not. She tries it again every time a new camper arrives at camp.
The campers all observed this only to make fun of her. That she's desperate to find her special someone to go on a quest and prove herself. She glares at them for laughing at her, which makes them back off.
She's proven to be quite scary when necessary too.
She remembered the big Prophecy she accidentally read in the attic after Luke left for his quest. The prophecy child was an opportunity to prove herself and get out of the camp for a while. She hoped every new camper was her golden ticket to prove herself.
The prophecy child wasn't a person to her, they were like an idea. An exciting idea to see it unravel before her very eyes.
She had chased the Stoll brother around the camp with her dagger for hiding a tarantula in her bunk. She'd vehemently deny that she ever screamed her head off because of the spider, and got herself a reputation as a scary blonde daughter of Athena who carries a dagger to skewer you for pranking her with spiders.
xXx
A/N: Annabeth wasn't charmed by Luke's appearance. She watched him from seven-year-old and was smart enough to know that Thalia and Luke were a thing of the past. I think the camp gossip about his appearance created an idea of him in her head. This led to some misinterpreted feelings on her part. She only ever saw him as an older brother she desperately lacked. That's the reason for her strong belief that he could be helped. A simple crush would evaporate in time. A ten-twelve year cannot comprehend love in its entirety—that's a no.
